By Aimee Schlehr
What a wonderful summer we’ve had, filled with amazing works created by inspired children and guided by our professional artists during ARTScool. ARTScool exhibition opens Aug. 12 at the Naples Art Association, the upcoming ARTScool Student exhibition featuring newly created artwork from the 21st annual summer arts program for children and teens.
ARTScool intern David Paul curated the ARTScool exhibition. He is a long-time participant in the ARTScool program. “I started ARTScool classes when I was 7 years old,” said David Paul. “Once I turned 15, I became an ARTScool intern. When senior year rolled around, I began to think last summer might have been the last time I got to be at NAA. Then I remembered the opportunity available to high school students when they graduate which is to become the ARTScool head intern and so I went for it.”
The ARTScool exhibition will be on view Aug. 12 through Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the Naples Art Association’s Gallery 104. Admission is free.
We also had the privilege to feature the private collection of the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, and we are thrilled at the prospect of what is still yet to come!
We are delighted to present our new website. We have been hard at work redesigning the site so it’s easy to use and enjoyable while you are there. Visit us at www.Naplesart.org. Aside from the new interactive home page, you will also find a new, very simple to navigate fall art class schedule that is open for registration. Sessions begin Oct. 7 and run through May 23, offering new instructors, new choices and all the inspired, challenging and insightful experiences we have become known for.
Our much-anticipated non-juried exhibition aptly named Your Choice, provides an opportunity for local artists to present their artwork to a large audience with no jury process requirement. The exhibition is called “Your Choice” because the artists and spectators make the choices. Artists decide which artwork they will exhibit while gallery viewers attending the reception decide who will receive the awards. The exhibition runs Aug. 19 through Sept. 25 and will be installed throughout Naples Art Association galleries on both levels. The reception will be held Aug. 16 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. when $1,000 in total cash prizes will be awarded by popular vote done at the reception. Join us!
As part of our commitment to providing professional development to artists, the Naples Art Association hosts a variety of juried and non-juried exhibitions throughout the year. If you are looking for ways to get your art in front of a new audience and increase recognition, we invite you to participate in some of the many showcase opportunities we offer. We are currently in the process of a call for artists for juried shows that are coming this fall.
Our next juried exhibition, Touchable Art, is seeking artists to submit up to four pieces for the jury process. Art is generally considered to be a visual experience, but our appreciation of art does not need to come purely from sight. Touching is a basic instinct and a way to experience objects, gather information and build awareness. The Touchable Art exhibition will feature artwork by sighted, visually impaired and blind artists. Shaking off the traditional gallery-goer behavior, visitors are encouraged to use their sense of touch to explore the exhibition.
The exhibition will be Oct. 4 – 17 and will be the feature of the Fredrick O. Watson Gallery at Naples Art Association. Reception will be held Oct 3 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.. Cash awards totaling $350 will be announced at the reception. Call for artist deadline is Sept. 27. For more information, go to www.naplesart.org and click on “Call for Artists.”
For our extraordinary ticketed events in the coming season, Scene to be Seen in November, Dinner with Artists in October, January and April and For the Love of Art in March, we are actively seeking sponsors. Be featured and showcased across the associated platforms, giving your company the opportunity to speak to these exceptional audiences. For more info, contact Mary Visgilio at 239-262-6517 x115 or by email at mary.visgilio@naplesart.org. We are already booking our fabulous, art-filled facility rentals for season and there is limited availability, so we are encouraging you to get yours booked now. Contact Mary Visgilio for that too.
The Naples Art Association’s primary goal is to serve as a working art center where the community can access art education, activities and events for all ages and learn about art through exhibitions and educational outreach. We encourage you to join us by investing in the arts and, in turn, in our community. We can’t wait to welcome you to the Naples Art Association.
Aimee Schlehr is CEO and executive director of the Naples Art Association
